Last Saturday night, my friend John Ordaz and I went to Pittsburgh to see 70s and 80s icon, Olivia Newton-John. She was singing as part of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's 2012-13 season in the beautiful Heinz Hall. Dressed in a black jump suit, Olivia hit the stage right at 8, singing "Have You Never Been Mellow." She followed with 90 minutes of song that touched on every aspect of her career. My favorite part was her 15 minute salute to her "country" roots where she sang hits like, "Let Me Be There", "Please Mr. Please", and "If You Love Me Let Me Know." She did 4 songs from the movie "Xanadu". Three songs from her superstar launching movie "Grease". 80s monsters like "Magic" and of course, "Physical". The Pittsburgh Symphony actually added little to the concert as her music is pretty upbeat, and rock oriented. However, the ballads she did, including "Sam" and the cross-format #1 "I Honestly Love You" allowed the PSO to shine. Her voice has stayed strong through the years, with her range of notes, still amazing. The energy level was always high, and her back-up band and singers were top notch. A breast cancer survivor since the 90s, Olivia spoke intimately about the experience. Great show and definitely worth the drive!
The scene inside Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, an hour before showtime!
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